Russian Pacific Fleet ships fire missiles (archive)

MOSCOW, May 27. /TASS/. Naval groups of the Russian Pacific Fleet are conducting maneuvers off the Kamchatka coast on Wednesday. The fleet's spokesman Captain 1st Rank Roman Martov said that the Moroz small-size missile ship and the MPK-82 antisubmarine ship have entered the Avacha Bay for missile and gun practice.

"They drill naval engagement within a group," said the spokesman. "Then it is planned to conduct gun and missile practice from the AK-176, AK-630 naval guns and the Osa-M air defense missile system at aerial and surface targets." The navy men after that will conduct live fire exercises and drills within ship groups in the Pacific Ocean, Martov added.

All Russian fleets have conducted military exercises this year with the participation of the missile, landing and anti-submarine forces: the Northern Fleet ships of the Mediterranean permanent grouping of the Russian Navy drilled defending convoys; the Baltic Fleet conducted exercises with gun practice in adverse weather conditions; the Pacific Fleet training drilled landing operations in the Sea of ··Japan; the Black Sea ships drilled launching missile strikes and the organisation of air defence; the Caspian flotilla conducted tens of sea exercises with gun practice.